Company Response Review Report Review
AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS - Bait & Switch. Don't go for low price

Russ Submitted this review about AA All Star Discount Auto Transport Inc.
Review made Live: 8/1/2011 1:48:00 PM
AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS is a company I will never do business with again. Bottom line is they increased the price by $50 (originally tried for $75) after I sent in my $199 deposit based on a firm quote of $899. After 2 or 3 discussions with them, I decided I couldn't trust them and refused to pay more than the original pricing. They chose to cancel the order.

I discussed this pricing a number of times with Lisa Cooper, and she never once said the price may increase. AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS stated that this was the best price I would find - true!! In fact so good that they would not honor it. The day before the car was going to be picked up, I called them and they say they found a shipper who wanted $75 more for the shipment. I spoke with Paul Baldwin and had the rudest, disgusting, intimidating, unprofessional, abusive, abrasive, insulting conversation I've ever had in any transaction - I mean ever.


Here's how the conversation went. I get a hold of AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS - Paul Baldwin at about 4 pm in the afternoon. He tells me of the price increase and says he is sending the contract for shipping with the increased price, and he needs me to fax it back by the end of the day (about an hour). I tell him I can't do it until later when I get home. After a tense / rude discussion on pricing he tells me to go to a library, hotel, business center and get the form back. Never asked me if I even had access to my personal e-mail (answer is "no", of course). He was insistent I send it immediately - he never wanted to listen to my comments / questions. I finally asked if we could find another shipper who would ship for the original price. He shouts there are no other shippers, and to return the contract. So I told him I couldn't get the fax back to him, I wouldn't pay the increased price, and asked for a refund of my deposit. He shouts there aren't any refunds. The entire conversation was loud, obnoxious, rude, disrespectful, and grossly unprofessional. You really can't understand how bad it was. That ended the conversation.


Paul Baldwin, AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS, called me back about 15-20 minutes after the abusive phone call and said I could send the contract later that night. I chose not to do so. I wrote a very polite message to Lisa Cooper of AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS and asked for a refund. I called in the morning and she restated the great deal I was getting and told me they wouldn't refund the $199 deposit - that was for them and the work they did for finding a shipper. I reconsidered for about 15 minutes and realized there was no way I could continue with a company like AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS unless they honored the original pricing.


I should have done my homework on AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS on this site. The other reviews speak for themselves. The BBB of Los Angeles rates this company an "F".


Here is a quote from the BBB page - beware!!

Most complainants generally allege failure to honor quotes and failure to notify customer's that initial deposits are not deducted from actual cost of transport; cusotmer's must pay a separate company for the transportation. Many customers complain the company fails to find a carrier in a timely manner which causes delays in pick up and delivery; once a carrier is found the initial price quoted increases by hundreds of dollars. Some complaints allege the company fails to refund deposits after cancellation and failure to return phone calls.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
Washington
Pickup:
Never
Destination State:
Florida
Delivery:
Never
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
82079-WC
Quote or Order Cost:
$899

Company Response
Lisa from AA All Star Discount Auto Transport Inc. Submitted this response.
Response Date: 8/3/2011 10:09:00 AM
THE CUSTOMER CHOSE TO CANCEL THE ORDER. THE CUSTOMER CHOSE TO GO TO A DIFFERENT COMPANY. THE CUSTOMER CHOSE TO PAY AN EXTRA $125 MORE THAN OUR CARRIER WAS CHARGING. We offered carrier to Russ East at best price in the industry, $ 750 COD, which carrier wanted. Carrier asked for $ 50 more. Russ East refused truck, and canceled driver and order. He then booked with another broker and paid $825 to the carrier. So he wound up paying $ 125 dollars more with the other carrier. Is this better? Of course not, but sometimes as much as we try to educate people they feel they would rather pay more money. With the economy in the state that it is, fewer trucks are out there, and just as many cars need to be shipped, carriers naturally want to get the best price out there so they can survive. Russ's wife wanted him to go with our carrier, with the best price, and she couldn't understand his actions either. Bottom line, the additional $ 50 dollars the carrier wanted is still cheaper than the additional $ 125 he wound up paying. He wound up paying way more with the other carrier.